Iraqi Planes return to Damascus after 7 years

By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraqi planes land in Damascus following 7-year hiatus

Following a seven-year hiatus caused by the*economic embargo imposed on Syria and the unstable security situation, an Iraqi civilian airplane landed Aug. 20 for the first time at Damascus International Airport. Syria used this step politically and deemed it*a victory for the Syrian army against terrorism, as was*announced by the Syrian Minister of Transport Aug. 20.
In conjunction with growing air traffic, the director of Damascus International Airport, Nidhal Mohammed, revealed*Sept. 12*that the number of arrivals to the airport*increased by 20% over the same period last year, and the proportion of air freight also increased 15% from last year.
Prior to the return of the Iraqi airplane to Damascus, Iraqi Airways refrained from operating*direct flights to Damascus,*except for transit flights. Meanwhile, Syrian companies were transporting Iraqis to Damascus*and vice versa*— especially visitors to religious sites in Syria.Click here to read the full story.